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Thursday, 4 January 2018

Storm Eleanor

Hi there, beautiful people. Just thought I'd pop up on your screens with a quickie to left you know what's going on around these parts.

Storms. Rain. Hailstorms. That's what's occurring around here.

We've been battered by storms and deluges coming in off the Atlantic for what seems like weeks now. I'm finding myself with just the occasional short window of weather good enough to walk around the 'hood before some more of the stuff comes back and hits me.

Our latest storm was Storm Eleanor. She hit us on the night of 2/3 January with 50-75 mph winds.

She was relentless through the night. She huffed and puffed and shook my little house. I could feel my little house shudder and its granite walls are 12 inches thick!

Here's what it looked like on the morning of 3 January in my 'hood.

It shook up the sea on the west coast, where I live.

The heavy seas breached the sea walls and coastal roads became flooded.

As the tide subsided and the storm eased, the occasional car braved the roads.

But there were no pedestrians to be seen. The water was above wellie-height.

Eleanor was a particularly noisy storm. She blew without pause all through the night, battering the house and the windows, augmented occasionally by rainy squalls and intense hailstorms. Sleep was sparse. There is a fair amount of flooded fields inland too.

So whilst the storms choose GB as a favoured destination, our little islands fresh food takes another hit. This time I give you the fruit shelves.

We felt sorry for the fruit that's left. Why don't the vultures want those two coconuts sitting huddled together on the top shelf? Or the solitary melons left in their boxes? Heartbreaking sights indeed.

We're hoping the storms will abate soon.

The cargo boats will get through.

The field opposite the house will dry up and the ponies will be able to get out grazing again.

I'll get some washing out on the line without fear of it blowing into Mr Neighbour's garden.

And I'll get out walking again.

Another storm is on it's way, but not forecast to be as bad as Eleanor, which was one of our worst storms in recent years, apparently.

You're up bright and early, Pieta! Oh, that's interesting that they show our storms in OZ. We get so many of them! We get battered on the west coast as the storms roll in off the Atlantic and I just happen to live on the west coast! It's a great place to be most of the year. Eleanor was relentless for hours on end and she was sooo noisy. We have no damage, just a few garden things thrown around and the garden's a bit awash since. Last storm some gutters came down. I'm so pleased I got my new roof on last summer, before all these storms hit! Keep cool down there, hugs x.

Just wanted to tell you that I am thinking of you and your lovely island home during these storms as they come and go. In the States, it's the snow storms and below zero temps that capture our attention so I sheepishly admit that I was not aware of your weather. Take care of one another and stay warm and safe! (this desert gal admits to finding beauty in that raging sea but not at anyone's detriment-best wishes for the whole island!!)

Hi Jules and thanks for your concerns. We're at the end of the Atlantic so storms are expected but we they seem to have been pretty constant of late. Quite a few houses were flooded along the coast after our latest big one, Eleanor. There tends to be no US snow left by the time it hits our shores, thanks to the salty air; any snow we get usually comes off the continent from the east. The US has certainly been hit hard. We're Skyping with our folks in Boston soon and we'll hear all about it. Jeg oensker dig en rigtig godt nyt aar, skat, knus, x.

So glad that things are calming down for everyone-Mother Nature likes to remind us who is in control-my family in the Midwest is coping with -40 F if there's a wind and, being from the plains, there is ALWAYS wind!

Lots of listening to the Google translation from Danish to English and I still can't follow it BUT a very Happy New Year to you as well! You are making me consider some biker jeans-you look great in them!!

Oh I just can't imagine what it must feel like in those temps and with a massive chill factor added with the wind. Brrrr.You did well with the Danish. And I appear to be getting a few readers to think about these coated beauties so I really hope you find yourself a super pair (maybe Nordstrom?) and I really hope you report back, because you will have a blast in them, pinky promise!Hugs, x.

Oh my sweet friend, bless your heart!!! I had no idea you all were in such a terrible storm. Those pictures look like a tsunami is striking your beautiful island! I have a HUGE fear of waves, not even kidding. I always say I couldn't live at the beach because I'd have an anxiety attack with every storm. Hurricanes are scary but there's something about those big waves that freaks me out. And the grocery store! Oh my, did you all lose electricity? And you have granite walls? I'm learning so much about life in GB.I suppose you can still enjoy a good G & T, right? Whenever a storm threatens here I make a huge delicious meal that I can enjoy a good glass of wine with because if I'm going down I may as well go out on a high note!Prayers for you and TP, God bless my friend!xo,Kellyann

Hi my dear friend, we're pretty used to storms living where we are so please don't fret, but this one was particularly bad. Sorry to hear about your fear of waves - so you won't be joining me in the Baywatch re-make then? I have a friend who lives right next to the beach, a lovely house with huge windows looking out on the sea and the coast and the setting sun. So beautiful. But in some storms rocks come flying through her plate glass windows, waves crash all around the house and sometimes the ground floor of the house floods (they have an upside down house). So I guess she needs a G&T at times like that! Talking of which, I did tell you what I WOULDN'T be doing in January and I'm pleased to say apart from next Wednesday when I go out for dinner and MAY have a glass, no booze January is going well!And on that bombshell, hugs, x.

Hi Jacqui, 'fraid I can't take credit for the pics, I was nicely cosied up at home when all that was going on! Yes, the UK generally is being hit so badly with one storm after another. It's still blowing a hoolie as I type right now. Brrrr. Hope you're keeping warm and safe. Hugs, x.

Eleanor did everything you described it doing to your house to ours as well! BUT there wasn't even a branch or twig on the ground the following day - a sure sign, I always think, of a very strong storm.

Wasn't that scarey, Vronni, I hadn't experienced that trembling house thing before, even in The Great Storm of '87. That's an interesting take you have on gauging a storm's severity. We continued to have days and days of strong winds, squalls, rain and hailstorms but today the wind has dropped. Hope all is well your side of the stream. Hugs, x

Totally fed up with UK weather of late and I'm sure I suffer from s.a.d. But then I realise how lucky I am to not suffer strong storms often like this. Good job you got the roof done as you say Mary. Roll on better weather xx